About the job

Job summary

Commercial Lead

c.£85,000 per annum

London

Fixed Term Contract – 23 Months

Hybrid Working

Fantastic opportunity for a Commercial Lead with Public Sector Procurement experience in the Digital/Technology sector.  In this role you would be working on the Pensions Dashboard Programme (PDP) as an advisor, overseeing direction to the commercial team for PDP.  Money and Pensions Service want somebody who can raise commercial awareness and take responsibility for transforming the commercial function.  If you believe you have the skills and knowledge for this role then we look forward to receiving your application. 

Job description

Here is an insight to the Pensions Dashboard Programme:

Pensions dashboards will enable people to access key information about all of their UK pensions, private and State, in one place online, revolutionising how people engage with their pensions throughout their lives. Enabling the delivery of pensions dashboards will require up to 52m adults in the UK to be connected with up to around 43,000 pension providers and schemes to search for their pensions.

Development work by industry has already taken place, as a concept. The goal is now to turn it into a delivery solution for the benefit of UK citizens. MaPS has created a Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) that will be responsible for delivering the digital architecture and governance framework that will allow multiple parties to be connected as part of the pension’s dashboards ecosystem. This hugely significant development has the potential to improve the financial wellbeing of millions of people.

The programme is comprised of an Industry Steering Group and a supporting Programme team within MaPS. The Programme is working in close partnership with DWP, TPR and FCA who all have related delivery responsibilities. Industry has had, and will continue to have, a crucial role to play in designing and developing the necessary components to make pensions dashboards possible.

The Commercial Lead will be responsible for a small commercial team providing them with steer and oversight to deliver high quality support and advice. You will also operate as part of the PDP leadership team working directly with the PDP Programme Director and Senior Responsible Owner (SRO).

Moreover, you will act as a senior leader of the commercial team in MaPS taking an active leading role in the transformation of the function brining it in line with the best practices of the Government Commercial Function.

Responsibilities:

• Provide commercial advice and support across the full commercial lifecycle including commercial contract management.  
• Provide steer and oversight to commercial team for PDP ensuring high quality of commercial advice
• Operate as a trusted advisor for PDP Programme Director and SRO
• Develop effective relationships with suppliers identifying and realising opportunities for value add
• Line manager two team members looking after their own wellbeing and development
• Identify and realise savings on outsourced services, when appropriate, to demonstrate the return on investment on the commercial function
• Develop and maintain commercial pipeline and contract register to inform resource allocation and categories strategies. Work closely with finance business partners to monitor spend against contracts to help flagging over or underspend of budgets.
• Act as a commercial leader in MaPS raising commercial awareness across the organisation and championing the value of commercial
• Take responsibility to shape and deliver the transformation of MaPS commercial function.

Person specification

You will need to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

• Experience and/or understanding of public sector procurement after 2015
• Experience in digital and technology category (ideally with experience of agile contracting)
• Manages Complexity: experience of procurement and commercial contract management of digital contract.
• Commercial Focus: experience and/or demonstrable knowledge across the full commercial lifecycle from strategy, sourcing and procurement and commercial contract management. Understanding of public sector procurement.
• Risk Mindset: ability to offer strong judgement and decision making around risk and risk mitigations keeping in mind the ultimate goal.
• Market Insight: knowledge of market drivers and behaviours for both private and third sector.
• Decisive: Able to operate in a dynamic and fast-pacing environment and to make sound decisions and recommendations.
• Builds Relationships and Influencing: Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to build credibility with partners/stakeholders and constructively challenge situations where needed to improve outcomes.

Benefits

What Money and Pensions Service can offer you?

• Generous Annual Leave – 30 days plus Bank Holidays
• Pension scheme – contributions matched 2 to 1 (up to 10% of your salary)
• Interest-free loan to help you buy season tickets for buses and trains
• Cycle to work Scheme
• Subsidised eye test & flu jabs
• Life assurance scheme
• Give as you earn scheme
• Employee assistance programme (EAP)
• PAM Assist and PAM Life scheme (Wellbeing)
• Enhanced family and sick pay
• Paid volunteering (2 days a year)
• Recognition Scheme
• Discounts portal to numerous retailers

 

At MaPS, we take pride in our flexible approach to work.  As standard, we work on a hybrid basis with a minimum of 2 days in the office per week. Hybrid working is a voluntary, noncontractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business needs, but personal and other relevant circumstances will also be considered. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

If you are successful at interview, we operate a reserve list where your details will be held for up to 6 months. Should a vacancy come available in that time with the same essential criteria, reserve list candidates will be offered that position with no further assessment required.

If you’re already a MaPS employee, and as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress, and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we're passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience. Please get in touch if you want to know more about some of the ways in which we could support you by emailing recruitment@maps.org.uk

Terms and conditions , Money and Pensions Service (maps.org.uk)

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How to apply:

To apply for this position, we kindly request that you submit a cover letter of up to 1000 words.   Give evidential points against the Essential Criteria to demonstrate how you are closely aligned to the role.   

Teams Interviews will be on the 22nd of July 2024, you will be expected to provide a short presentation, subject to be confirmed.  You will be notified on or by the 12th of July if you are invited.

At the heart of the Money and Pensions Service are our values – caring, connecting and transforming, which are the foundation of our success. They permeate every area of our work and define all our business relationships and the way we work with each other. We’re not only looking for the best people in and around Bedford to come and work for us, but we need people who align themselves to our values: -

• Caring
  We care about our colleagues and people whose lives we are here to transform.
• Connecting
  We will transform lives through our ability to make positive connections.
• Transforming
  We are committed to transforming lives and make a positive societal impact.

About MaPS

At MaPS, we help people – particularly those most in need – to improve their financial wellbeing and build a better, more confident future. Working collaboratively across the UK, we make sure customers can access high-quality money and pensions guidance and debt advice throughout their lives, however and whenever they need it.

About our people 

We are keen to encourage applications from individuals across the whole community with the skills, knowledge, and behaviours for the job, and who show a strong commitment to MaPS’ objectives, values, and vision.  It is important to us that we continue our ambition to be a genuinely diverse and inclusive organisation, so that we reflect the people we are here to help.

Our inclusive working environment

By fostering our values, we are immensely proud of the inclusive working environment that we have created. The diversity of our people is a strength that we embrace and wish to build upon, so we are committed to attracting people of all backgrounds.

We work hard to ensure that we have a progressive approach to inclusion, equity and belonging.  We really do want our colleagues to “bring their whole selves to work.”

By way of brief example, we have an enviable ethnic diversity mix, equal gender balance with a zero mean gender pay gap and thriving colleague and ally networks, including LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, women’s health, men's health, ethnicity, and diversity.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is an arm’s-length body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. This role is to be appointed under MaPS Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s are found https://maps.org.uk/

Our policy requires that selection for appointment to the MaPS is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the Money and Pensions Service via email: recruitment@maps.org.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.

Job Reference:  MaPS00629

Close Date:  7th July 2024

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.